We’re going to kick off this week’s WIAW with what I’m eating as I type up this post on Tuesday night — an incredibly bizarre evening snack…

What is it?!? A cup of my mom’s homemade split pea soup (I really need to bug her for the recipe), alongside a Dr.Krackerpumpkin seed cheddar crispbread for some much needed crunch. A little lot different than the cereal/yogurt/chocolate/fruit/AB/what.have.you concoctions that I normally have before bed, but I was craving it so I rolled with it… time will tell if it was a good idea

Rewind to breakfast, which looked a whole lot more familiar…

Oats, oats, and oats… with plain Greek yogurt, homemade applesauce, honey, and almond butter thrown on top. I start pretty much every.single.day with a bowl of oats (except for when I’m on vacation, apparently), and I have yet to tire of it or crave something else. I’ll switch up my add-ins every now and then, but the oats are pretty much a given. And if I don’t have them in the morning? I’ll end up craving them for the rest of the day, so I figure it’s best to satisfy that craving early and just get it out of the way.

That’s the thing about cravings… they tend to stick around until satisfied. You can try tricking them by snacking on something that’s similar-but-different (recipe coming soon!)…

But they almost always catch up to you in the end… the end in this case being 10:17 AM yesterday morning

Cravings are a tricky thing. They don’t seem to be much of an issue when we’re craving something like eggs or broccoli (it does happen!), but when it comes to things like chocolate and ice cream? That’s when we start running into some problems…

I’ve gotten a lot better at honouring my cravings whenever they happen to pop up, but that’s not to suggest that I have everything perfectly figured out. There are definitely still times where I can’t help but question what I’m craving, especially when what I’m craving happens to be chocolate truffles at 9 AM. There are also times where I can’t figure out what the heck it is that I want (besides “something”), and I end up picking away at 20 different things hoping something will strike my fancy. Thankfully that wasn’t the case when lunch time rolled around, though — I knew exactly what I wanted…

An almond butter and jelly sandwich was on the menu. And on the side? Some cold leftover veggies that I roasted up a couple of days ago (not the entire tray)…

My afternoon snack was pretty much a no-brainer as well…

Various dried fruits dipped in almond butter. That obsession I mentioned? Still going strong. My only complaint is that the level of almond butter in my jar has reached that annoyingly low point where I can no longer dip my dates and figs into it with ease. I suppose there are worse problems to have, though… like not being able to figure out what to make for dinner.

I wasn’t feeling overly hungry, but that craving-something-but-don’t-know-what feeling hit me pretty hard in the evening . I almost went with a bowl of cereal or some other kind of breakfast-type-food, since that’s my typical go-to meal when I find myself in that sort of predicament, but I was kind of feeling something savoury, so I went with a a bowl of whole wheat noodles mixed with hummus and a cup of mushroomy soup instead. Not bad, but I was still craving a little something, and I needed to follow it up with some bunnies before I felt fully satisfied.

And that’s how I curb my cravings — by honouring them. I’ve learned that eating a carrot when I want a cookie never works, and that gulping down a glass of water when I’m hungry will leave me bloated sooner than satisfied. I can’t help but cringe when I come across articles that try to teach women how to “silence” their cravings, because while it might work in the short term, ignoring your cravings and denying yourself the foods that you love will usually only get you into trouble in the long run. Not only do those cravings never really go away, but they keep building up, increasing the likelihood that you’ll go overboard when you finally do let yourself have the foods you’ve been wanting… at least that’s what I’ve found.

My eating disorder removed most sugars and carbs from my diet for so long that those things became all I wanted to eat in recovery. Did I go overboard? Heck yeah I did! I don’t think I’ve ever had that many consecutive sugar comas in my life… But my desire to eat ALL the sweets slowly tapered off when I began to eat them more regularly and realized that they weren’t going anywhere. Not labelling them as “off limits” also helped take away some of their appeal — after all, we always want what we can’t have

And that’s it for me today, friends! I’ll see you guys tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud!

What are your thoughts on cravings? Should they always be honoured? Or do they sometimes need to be mediated?
What’s your favourite dried fruit?
What’s your go-to meal when you don’t know what to make?

I think they need to be honored as well, and I always hate it when I get that feeling that I want “something” but have no idea what. I go from the pantry to the refrigerator to the freezer hoping something will jump out at me!

Dried fruit dipped in almond butter sounds fantastic! I have a tough time with cravings – for me, I need to pinpoint if I’m actually craving something or if my mind is tricking me into think I am (hello, sugar!). Detoxing from sugar a bit is helping me with that a bit!Kim @ Racing Bananas recently posted..WIAW: What Clean Eating Looks Like

Well… when I was in my worst ED days, I cut off bananas from my diet… and slowly came back to them afterwards.
Then some months ago I decided to try a ketogenic diet – God knows why, I still dont know how I managed to have enough energy for my workouts and tennis practices with almost no carbs at all…
And I thought about bananas evety single day but I couldn’t eat them!
So one night, after dinner, I just started crying and I dindt know exactly why… and I thought “thats enough!”, went back to the kitchen and ate two big bananas with cinnamon and some PB… that solved the problem and I’m NEVER going back to restricting diets and that kind of sh**!!! Not worth it!
And I told this little story only to tell that ever since my cravings ALWAYS involve bananas!! I think my body is still afraid I will let it without my beloved nanners again! hahahah no, I won’t, ever again!

Bananas were a big fear of mine as well, and now I usually eat around 2 or 3 a day. And that snow ice cream is seriously hilarious… It’s been snowing here for the past day or so, and I’m more than a little tempted to give it a shot

1000000% Agree about the cravings! I have a huge sweet tooth, and most people think I do not allow myself a single sweet as an elite athlete, but I am still human! I tried cutting sugary foods out for my peak races in the past, but I ended up putting on weight, and was completely miserable/snappy/mood swingy because I couldnt fill that “void” you talked about. I think it is so important to enjoy what you crave…..just try to eat healthy most of the time.

Honor those cravings baby! If you wake up in the middle of night wanting a scoop of almond butter, get a damn scoop. If you wake up at 4am cravin chocolate, have a damn piece…. yes bothhave happened me to this week.

I really need to remember this whole applesauce/greek yogurt combo. I swear, thats prob the main meal of yours that I have YET to try and have wanted too for yearsss!!!! GRR why do I keep forgetting Jessie recently posted..WIAW: The Comparison Trap

I definitely think that’s the way to go with cravings – satisfy them! This past week or so I’ve been having another flare-up with my acid reflux, and have eliminated chocolate from my diet to try and help. I haven’t had chocolate in 5 days and let me tell you, these cravings are serious! But I’ve found in the past (and now, with this new predicament) that if I don’t satisfy them, I just keep looking and eating things I didn’t really want in the first place.

Favorite dried fruit? That’s a toss-up between apricots and cherries. Yummm.
Usually I’m the same as you…my go-to meal is almost always cereal or a Greek yogurt bowl!

So important to honor one’s cravings. That is why I don’t think a restrictive diet will ever work out in the long run and I absolutely refuse to restrict myself from anything that doesn’t damage my body – I should probably start restricting my coffee consumption though as soon as this stupid thesis is written. > 3 cups a day is most likely not the best way to go. Btw – I am quite curious about that similar-but-different snack you had. It looks intriguing. And so does your moms split pea soup – I love when my mom cooks up a pot of this weird-looking deliciousness!Ksenija @ With An Open Mind recently posted..What I Ate Wednesday {in France #5}

I do my best to ‘honor’ my cravings too now – without any guilt, which was a major problem for me in the past! I’m sure we both have the same opinion of cravings, similar to IIN’s philosophy I’ve also learned about myself that when I really crave sweets/sugar/dessert it does typically mean that I need more protein in my diet, so that’s good to know, too!Danica @ It’s Progression recently posted..Let’s get right to the point. {wiaw}

Cravings totally need to be mediated, but that doesn’t mean all of them should be ignored. I give into some, but I try not to give into alllll of them. It seems the more sugar I eat, the more I want, which is clearly a problem.

this may sound odd, and i blame it on this time of year with all the cold and such, but i have had this weird craving for oatmeal (gf of course!). now i have never had oatmeal in my life. even before i was diagnosed. i just for some reason want to give overnight oats a try. who am i and where did alex go. i think i will be experimenting with recipes this weekend.Alex @ therunwithin recently posted..Fresh Foam: It’s all about the Foam

I think it’s a good idea to honor your cravings, and definitely something I like to do when they pop up. Last week, I had this major craving for Thai for and I totally went with it. It was SO good too!

I love dried fruit! I always have craisins in the house, but I also like dates, mango, banana, pineapple and apricots. I love the idea of dipping some in almond butter. Definitely have got to give that a try!Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat recently posted..WIAW #32 – Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

I think listening to cravings is so important, otherwise your body will feel deprived. Usually if I’m craving something I try to have water first to see if that helps but if I’m still craving it 20 mins later then I definitely just have it with no shame! Now if that craving is Chipotle then I skip the water thing and get my butt to a Chipotle ASAP. …..which clearly I’d like to do now.Erin @ The Almond Eater recently posted..WIAW 2/12/14

Ooooooh I saw those Dr.Kracker pumpkin seed cheddar crispbread recently and I think I really must give them a try.
Plus dried fruit dunked in almond butter – Soooooo good without any feelings of guilt attached & I often turn to something like that when I have cravings.
If I need chocolate I’ll turn to raw chocolate or a low sugar sub, if I need PB I’ll eat PB..I think everything in moderation.
Favorite dried fruit is sultana’s but I have to eat them in moderation or I end up eating them 5 times a day!
Off to check out the recipe for your truffle now

Ha. Carrot instead of a cookie.. who does that and it works?! I’ll take a cookie please I need to start adding new things into my oatmeal. I’m not tired of it at all, but I think I should include some plain Greek yogurt. Seems like everyone enjoys that. I was thinking the other day how in the winter all I want for breakfast is oatmeal, but in the summer, it’s smoothies. I have them all the time!

I definitely say honor the cravings, within reason. if you wanted a cookie, had a cookie, and now want more.. it’s probably not a craving. I’ve been craving a McFlurry from McDonalds for months now… but yet to have it (mostly because I just never go to Mcdonalds.. ha). I am not one to pass on cravings or feelings of hunger. In fact, last night I finished dinner (bagel sandwich with an entire sauteed zucchini) and was still hungry immediately. I waited a few minutes to think of what I wanted, and when I was still hungry, I ate. I didn’t let the fact I just finished dinner stop me!Heather @fitncookies recently posted..What Does God Want Me To Do?

I used to LOVE McFlurry’s from McD’s before they slapped an allergy warning on them. I wonder if I can make my own. Hmm… And definitely try adding yogurt to oats! Gives them such a nice taste and texture.

So I kinda cringed when I saw your title and thought “oh don’t tell me AMANDA is doing one of THOSE posts”! As I read on I heaved a huge sigh of relief :). You speak words of truth girl. There has been countless times where I’ve gone through the whole – eat everything else..not happy..eat what I wanted from the word go. One time that I will never forget is where I shoved down two cream cheese toast to try and stop myself from wanting milk-tart! Yeaaah, didn’t work. I still slip up now..but at least I know. Oh I need to try dried fruit in nut butter! Peaches, apricots, mango,prunes..love them.Ms.J recently posted..WIAW painting the right picture

I have to honor my cravings too – instead of trying to curb them with something else. In my case – it just ends up making the craving so much stronger and when its that strong, moderation is hard to exercise.
My go to meal has become your pumpkin/hummus pizzas – if we dont have leftovers and its late when we get home, we toss some pitas or naans with hummus/pumpkin, veggies and beans and voila dinner!
I have’nt ahd oats in awhile and your oat bowl is igniting some serious cravings of my own just about now!
Happy Wednesday AmandaShashi @ RunninSrilankan recently posted..Chicken Curry With Thai Coconut Hummus is WIAW!

I’m the exact same way with cravings! If I try to shut them up they only come back stronger. Best to just address them as they come!
Those roasted veggies look awesome, by the way. I probably would’ve eaten that whole plate!Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food recently posted..WIAW- the good, the bad, and the ugly

I thought I was odd for combining pasta and hummus. Guess I’m not alone! Great minds think alike.
I think it is generally best to honor your cravings. It frustrates me to read the “advice” peddled by health “experts.” “Drink a large glass of water. Wait twenty minutes. Go for a walk around the block.” It is no wonder so many of us cannot eat intuitively. How are we supposed to know when we have had enough food when we have spent so much time trying to trick our bodies and hunger levels? Currently, I have to eat on a schedule because I rarely feel hunger anymore. However, as I have been consistently eating five times a day my hunger cues are starting to make an appearance. Generally, I do not feel physically hungry but I can tell I need to eat because I start to crave or “get a taste” for something. It tends to be the same sorts of foods at the same times of day. (Like you, if I don’t have my normal breakfast I will want it the rest of the day.) And, for the record, there are times when I crave broccoli too.
Favourite dried fruit? Probably prunes. (Did you hear the creak of my rocking chair and my knitting needles knocking together?)
My go to meal is a wrap with avocado, hummus, and veggies galore. Never tire of this one!

I definitely am in the honor your cravings boat. Especially now that I’m pregnant! I wanted a chocolate doughnut..so I got one…enjoyed every second of it…and now I don’t want one anymore! Problem solved. Haha. I also love love love dried mango and dried strawberries. I have a fun trail mix with pumpkin seeds, cashews, dried strawberries, and dark chocolate chips that I LOVE and keep on hand at all times!Jen@Twenty-Something&Starving recently posted..My Brilliant Idea & What I Ate Wednesday #14

Only thing worse than that awkward point where you can no longer dip in the jar is when the jar is empty and you have none left (which never happens to me but still)….I always always honor my cravings. Always. Even when it was the random tomato or red pepper craving a few weeks ago. And if I want chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal or fudge cake, I go for it. Respect the craving. Just respect it….Favorite dried fruit? I only like raisins.meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles recently posted..WIAW – Can We Skip To Dessert?

Considering that I just started munching on a piece of chocolate at 9 am…pretty sure I honour my cravings Not doing so definitely ends badly – I remember on Christmas back in the ED I decided to ‘let’ myself have dessert…which led to me eating a good 4-5 slices of cake. Which of course, terrified me and I vowed never to eat them again…which clearly led to the problem in the first place. While I understand that it’s probably not a good idea to eat ice cream at every meal, I think that letting yourself eat what you crave curbs the desire for the ‘less-healthy’ foods in the long run. When I honour my cravings, I’m fine with a piece or two of chocolate or a small bowl of ice cream. If I resist them, when I finally let myself eat them I overdo it. So much easier to just go with it.
Dried fruit: hmmm. probably mango!Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted..WIAW: Going for Healthy Fats.

Whole wheat pasta with hummus??? That sounds amazing!!
Cravings……Oh the sneaky little devils. When I’m craving insane amounts of sweets, I try to substitute it with something healthy but sweet. Like a fruit smoothie, or an extra banana with my almond butter&honey mixture. Me and sweets never end well, once I start I can’t stop. Haha it’s just how I am, I LOVE sweets too much, so I have to substitute for healthier options so 1. I don’t get sick afterward, 2. I don’t get a headache (which happens very easily with me and sugar), or 3. so I’m not craving sugar for days. It throws off my sleep and workouts.Chelsea @ A Fit LittleOne recently posted..Pilates Wednesday – Chest & Back!

I do think it’s important to honor cravings, for sure. Mine were out of control after Christmas, so that’s why I had to cut the sugar. But now I’m back to my own normal, in which I can honor cravings instead of pushing them aside (as long as it’s in my kitchen lol… ain’t nobody here [me] have money for that). I’ve found too that if we ignore cravings they come back with a vengeance. Weirdly I can’t get enough almonds lately. I have to have a handful every day! Great thoughts, lady. Oh and btw, I swear only you can make bread with nut butter and jam on it look so beautiful. I don’t know how you do it.Ang @ Nutty for Life recently posted..Birthday Cake Nut Butter [Bloggy’s First Birthday]

I think where things can get a bit tricky is when the craving is emotionally based. I do try to untangle bodily cravings from emotional ones, because my emotional cravings are not satisfied by food… no matter how much I might try! I try to honor my body by getting to the core of what it really wants and giving it that… whether it’s chocolate, sweets, veggies, meditating, exercise, etc…Cassie recently posted..friday favorites #12

“But my desire to eat ALL the sweets slowly tapered off when I began to eat them more regularly and realized that they weren’t going anywhere. Not labelling them as “off limits” also helped take away some of their appeal “. Do you promise? I am currently struggling with this, going deeper into my ED lately. I try to eat one and then end up eating the entire box and then making up for it. UGH.

Did you make your own hummus and mushroom soup? It looks so yummy.

Also, I know you have GI problems. Have you ever tried going gluten free or dairy free to see if that helps? Just a thought.

I’m all about satisfying my cravings! I will say though, that my sugar cravings can get a LITTLE out of control at times, so sometimes I need to mediate those because otherwise I’ll just not feel well. But even still, I have something sweet at LEAST once a day!Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries recently posted..Deciding What to Eat

I love those little bunnies! At work we have little bags of gold fish and teddy grahams and I always want to eat them up! Sometimes ya just need little snacks like that, I feel like a kid!sara@fitcupcaker recently posted..Too Much TV And An Easy Guacamole Recipe

I think I definitely struggle with cravings – I’ve realized I think mine come of habit and not actually wanting/needing a nutrient. For example, I’ve been eating kabocha and cottage cheese after dinner every night and so now I don’t know if I’m eating it out of habit or actual hunger/craving.Cassie recently posted..The Best Ten Minute Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Honestly? Seeing as it’s so healthy, I probably wouldn’t spend too much time trying to analyze it. I’ll randomly grab a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese or yogurt throughout the day as well, so I can definitely relate to the craving.

Funny, I crave chocolate every morning – after breakfast, Don’t know what that is, but it’s there every morning. So sometimes I just make my breakfast chocolate-y by adding cacao powder and some kind of sweetener – does the trick and if not, then heck, I eat chocolate. My cravings went away just as you said – when I allowed myself to honor them.
And now I crave those noodles! Good thing I’m in Spain in 2 days, pasta needs to happen.Lucie@FitSwissChick recently posted..WIAW#50 – #uglybutgood

Cravings … In theory I’m all for honouring whichever craving comes your way. But I will admit that there are still times where I find myself thinking “I can’t actually be craving -that-?!” and trying to eat what I feel would be a ‘better’ fit. For me it’s not necessarily always about the most nutritious choice but I still can find myself needing to take control over food. Luckily, over are the days where I’d overstuff myself with fruit and veggies only so I wouldn’t crave the [back then] forbidden foods – which we all know never worked out.
On a very random note your whole day looks incredibly delicious and worthy of imitation . Oh and yes, if your mum feels like sharing her soup recipe I wouldn’t complain. I’ve been on a huge soup kick – best portable work lunch to keep warm in my thermos – and looking for new ideas plus I’ve never had split pea soup before. That has to change. Soups and stews also happen to be my go-to meals when I have a bunch of leftovers and no idea what to make.
Happy Wednesday – and I could still need some help with the puzzle …Miss Polkadot recently posted..WIAW: No crumb[le] left behind

Great post and I agree that cravings should be honared. I think by having other food that you don’t want and say are healthy you are honestly just consuming more calories. I was actually having this discussion with someone the other day. A lot of foods that people deem healthier are higher in calories. If I crave a 300 calorie piece of cake…why snack on “healthier” food that ends up being 500 or 600 calories…then I am still craving the cake. That is just my opinion anyways.Hollie recently posted..Sugar Coma.

I love that you brought this up, and I couldn’t agree more. I recently read something that said “people don’t gain weight eating what they want — they gain weight eating what they don’t want followed by what they do want.” Obviously there’s way more to the equation than just weight, but I don’t think many people realize that they may not be doing themselves a favour by constantly eating healthier substitutions.

I can definitely relate to eating disorders/sweet cravings. I wouldn’t let myself eat a lot of things and then I craved them in my recovery. I think one of the things that helped me the most was being in a treatment center that required dessert as part of our meal plan every single night. It really helped me realize that if I wanted something sweet, I could have it and the world wouldn’t end.Alex @ Kenzie Life recently posted..Single and Loving It: Self-Love for (Single) Ladies

It really is remarkable – allowing yourself to eat whatever your body is asking for not only makes you more satisfied, but all those foods that used to be “off limits” become so much less enticing. There have been so many things I have been craving for so long, and once i finally ate them, they had no more power over me! I love your attitude towards honouring your body’s requests, not ignoring them. Emma @ Life’s A Runner recently posted..Every Hour On The Hour. WIAW.

I can relate to the whole going a little cray cray on the sugar during recovery. I think my body was just in shock I was finally feeding it something other than broccoli and never wanted me to stop! But like you said now that I’ve given it some time and learned how much my body needs to eat etc. they’ve levelled out a bit.
And on a random note; I had chocolate as an snack yesterday as well! As much as I wanted to make your truffles I a)Didn’t have pretzels and b)Already had homemade PB cups in the fridge so thats what I enjoyed!Lyric recently posted..WIAW: WTF?!

“There are also times where I can’t figure out what the heck it is that I want (besides “something”), and I end up picking away at 20 different things hoping something will strike my fancy.” Story of my life, seriously. It’s such a predicament. And then when you finally find that THING that you want, you’re a little full from everything you tried before…Beth @ Mangoes and Miles recently posted..Eating And Indulging For The Right Reasons

Your oats with applesauce, greek yogurt & honey looks so good right now! I never thought of that combination before. I don’t particularly love dried fruit. Apricots every now and then, but rare. I have a lot of sugar cravings. I find that when I don’t eat enough whole foods I head for the sugar. I need to get better at that.

I’m glad your honoring your cravings! I haven’t tried hummus with noodles before, it sounds like a good combination! My biggest craving is usually nut butter. I always have it with breakfast or end up thinking about it all morning.Nicole @ FruitnFitness recently posted..Long day lessons

I totally agree with you! Whenever I try to not eat peanut butter I end up eating way too much and end up with a stomachache! It is so not worth it! I am learning to listen to myself and my cravings! And that goes for dessert too! Which of course I try to limit but sometimes it is just good!

I thought you made mac and cheese at first when i saw that pic of hummus and pasta! Looks and sounds awesome hun! Definitely have to give that a try. I have learned a similar lesson in my recovery, which I am very thankful for. I know I still eat more sweets than I “should,” but I’m also ok with that. Too many years spent not enjoying myself, and I know I’ll continue to taper down as my body keeps getting used to eating what I want. And my favorite dried fruit is either figs or cherry craisins Caitlin recently posted..Keeping Things Light

Whenever I tell myself I can’t have something, I try to force myself to eat it. Remembering the days where I used to starve myself all day just so I could eat half a gallon of ice cream at night are long and gone. I never want them back.

I always go for waffles, oatmeal, or a sweet potato with all the fixins’ when I don’t know what I want for dinner… Which is about 90% of the time. I think I have gotten so used to depriving myself or everything and telling myself, “You don’t want it,” that I really have no idea what I’m hungry for anymore. It’s sad. Whomp, whomp.

And I love ALL the dried fruit (No sulfur for the sake of my tummy). My favorite? Probably dried papaya spears or figs!

I’m slowly starting to honor my cravings but it’s certainly difficult process. I’m realizing that if I don’t give in, I end up eating my meal and ultimately going back to that food I was craving. I should just eat it to begin with . I was never a sweets person until I started “Dieting”!

I am smitten with your noodles and hummus idea. It looked like Mac an Cheese and I was SUPER intrigued. Great Idea Love.
Oh and those pretzel truffles will be made tomorrow FOR SURE! Diana @sosmallsostrong recently posted..WIAW…Hooray!

I am sure your message is going to run deep for a lot of your readers, it did for me. Honoring your body is a huge deal, tricking the mind only works for so long. I know a lot of woman struggle with being true to their cravings, especially in this crazed society of “calories!” I actually got peeved when my spin instructor yelled out, “come on, burn off all that turkey you at last night!” What? Since when did eating turkey become a bad thing? And why should I have to kill myself to burn it off? What the hell are you saying?! (he was a man, and that made it 10x worse). Shoot, I think those feminist vs. masculinity lectures are starting to actually kick in O__O who woulda’ thought?!

I guess what I am trying to say is thank you for being real. You are helping me with some struggles in my “food life” way more than you know…<3Ashley @MilesonOats recently posted..WIAW

I absolutely admire you for writing posts like this! I am still learning day by day to listen to my body.I am not fully in recovery yet, but my worst days now are far better than my best days then. Thank you again!Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files recently posted..Sage Pork Chops with Cherry Balsamic Glaze

My cravings have been so insane lately, I honestly don’t even know what to do with myself. I think my body knows that February means chocolate, because its literally ALL I want. Chocolate smoothies. Chocolate waffles. Chocolate pb. Heck, I even got a chocolate covered ice cream cone this week. As you can see… I’m not one to deny my cravings Except for the donut craving. Ive been craving one like mad for a while now but I know its going to destroy my tummy…Kat recently posted..WIAW – attack of the bunnies

The pre bed snack? How unSPOONS of you! is it creepy that I kind of knew half of your eats? Haha the dried fruit, pretzels and chocolate. Seeing as I bought a package of pretzels after work last night…If you’re craving something, go for it. A carrot does NOT cure a chocolate craving. Experience is proof. :p

I don’t know why I’ve never asked you this but have you tried roasted cauliflower? It’s amazing. But your other roasted veg looks amazing- seeing as I had kabocha last night too.Arman @ thebigmansworld recently posted..WIAW- Honey and Cinnamon Gelato Heaven

Oh ya lady! I think that if you have a generally healthy diet and you get a craving for something fatty/sugary/salty your body NEEDS it. And yes, there is no way to trick your body into loving that carrot when you really needed a cookie. I used to be so scared that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself if I started in on a treat like ice cream or chocolate, but the fact is I now become satisfied at a certain point and stop craving. It is such a blessing to finally be in this happy place.
Your eats look fabulous!Christine@munchkinmumbles recently posted..Liebster Blog Award Nomination

I find that if I have a craving and don’t satisfy it I”m more likely to go overboard and eat more than I should. Everything in moderation for me. My weakness is dark chocolate. I buy the little dove chocolate squares and allow myself to have 2 a day!

I been slowly reading all your posts from day dot. I think I’m only a year behind now ! But I couldn’t help but sneak in and see what you’re up to in 2014. (don’t worry, as I type this I know how wierd it sounds..). ANYWAYS. I wanted to say that I appreciate your truthfulness and how much you share about your journey. I also cringe now when I hear people trying to silence a craving or avoid eating a certain dessert. We can say it as often as we like, but only they can come to the realisation that it doesn’t work.

Hooray for honoring cravings! When I struggled with my eating disorder, I would load up on veggies, which are amazing of course, but that’s ALL I had sometimes. I wanted carbs and meat so, so badly, but I wouldn’t allow myself to have them. When I did allow myself to have them, it would be in small portions and only if I could “afford” to eat them that day. I’d also be angry if anyone disrupted me when I was eating them, because those were rare times that I ate what my body craved.
Today, I’m glad to say that I satisfy my cravings whenever they come up. I find that my body craves sugar and fat sometimes, but it also craves veggies too. Our bodies are pretty smart, huh?
Favorite dried fruit: FIGS!
Go-to meal: Eggs and avocado toast for lunch or dinner. Greek yogurt bowls for breakfast!Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves recently posted..WIAW: Food Collage Style

Your last paragraph sums up my thoughts exactly! I am no longer afraid of cravings because I allow myself to eat what I want. Not all day long or anything, but you better believe I eat dessert every single night. (And by dessert, I don’t mean 5 strawberries dipped in whipped cream.) But because I no longer eat sweets with the mindset: “Eat as much as you can, you’re not allowed to have this tomorrow” I end up eating a “normal” amount rather than binging. Because there will be ice cream tomorrow. There will ALWAYS be ice cream tomorrow. Meg @ Meg Go Run recently posted..Hurts So Good!

I can’t always honour my cravings because sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to do so. Like if I’m craving pizza for dinner, but have leftover chili in the fridge, I’ll probably go for the chili. But then I’ll make sure to drag John/my friends/my family out for pizza within the next couple days. I can’t deny a pizza craving for too long! Chelsea @ Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen recently posted..Weekend kitchen stories

Honoring your cravings is such a big step with finding balance with food. Today, my sweet tooth craving was on a rampage with all of the treats around me, but I am going to satisfy it with my before bed snack.

I am with ya on the oats in the morning. Every. Single. Morning.
Such a classic for lunch. I have been craving that sandwich as well.

I always have some dark chocolate and that helps. Sometimes I want ice cream, and I will give it to myself if I go to the trouble of getting it. I also get good, local ice cream so it’s worth it!Julie recently posted..WIAW: My relationship (with food)

I love that Maisie Jane almond butter! So good! I am surprised you can eat split peas since you have a peanut allergy, every one I know who has a peanut allergy as well are also allergic to other legumes/ split peas. How did you figure out what you were/ were not allergic to?

Giving into my cravings is still something that I’m learning to allow myself to do…but I’ve become SO much better at it. Ignoring what you really want doesn’t make it go away like a lot of people hope for…it just makes it stronger!

My favorite dried fruit? Don’t laugh…but I like prunes! I know a lot of people ONLY eat them for their “pooping purposes” (which are an added benefit, I may add) however I honestly enjoy their taste!

I’ve been eating dried figs dipped in tahini! My cravings / appetite have been completely off recently so I’ve been finding it very challenging knowing when to honour cravings and when to try and make a healthier choice. It’s not that easy as you say x

Ah I love this post so much!!!! Literally all your food looks so amazinggg Applesauce in oatmeal?! genius! and that squash looks heavenly. figs and almond butter..again genius!! I have a feeling we have very similar taste buds. I totally agree that when you crave something, its better to just eat it then prolonging it by eating everything else first! just go for it! <333

Amen sister! I’m a firm believe in acknowledging and eating your cravings (although in moderation; a bowl of ice cream is great; a gallon might be a little too much, even for me). I’ve said this a bunch of times before, but I think most of those cravings are your body’s way of telling you that you need something (fats, protein, calcium, iron, sugar, nutrients, carbs, etc). Plus denying them will only make them stronger, which generally leads to consuming the entire gallon of ice cream in one sitting. Not a good thing. Some ice cream though is a great thing. Bet you can guess what I’m craving.

That last paragraph! Yes, yes, and HELL YES!! Exactly what I went through with IE…to the point where I even put on weight and started feeling that maybe this wasn’t the right path for me to be on, BUT I’m so glad I stuck with it because the intensity of those “forbidden food” cravings DOES die down eventually…you just have to be patient…and not beat yourself up over going overboard. That was a long and hard lesson for me to learn! My thought on cravings? Like you, I think that if you deny certain ones for too long, they WILL end up blowing up in your face, but I also believe in the saying that “the more you eat, the more you crave” when it comes to sugary stuff. I understand enough about the body to know that once you have a good endorphin release, your body remembers it, and craves it, just like a drug sometimes. So I guess you could say that I am a firm believer in honoring your body FIRST and your cravings second. We have to take care of bodies so they can take care of us! Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli recently posted..Birthday Cake, Booty Burnin’, and Other Randomness!

Hello, hello friendly faces! My name is Amanda. I'm a certified health coach, recipe developer, and the mastermind behind Running With Spoons -- a little corner of the web where I share delicious recipes, healthy lifestyle tips, and various other bits and bobs that run through my head. You can learn more about me here, or e-mail me with any questions at
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